Apple snatches new advertising director from Nike

Apple Inc. has lure Rebecca Van Dyck, the longtime global account director on the Nike business at Wieden + Kennedy, away from the advertising firm and appointed her its new director of worldwide advertising, an online report said Wednesday.

Citing sources, AdWeek said Van Dyck has already begun operations at her new position at Apple.

"We are a huge fan of hers here, and she left on great terms," a representative from Wieden told the publication. "Her job at Apple was a 'can't-pass' opportunity."

In her 12 years at the independent Wieden agency, Van Dyck reportedly worked exclusively on the Nike brand. During her last four years at the firm, she was awarded global oversight for the flagship business," AdWeek reported.

Apple last year spent $285 million in U.S. measured media, nearly double the $150 million it spent in 2005.

Good news. I hope this signals an increase in their *advertising* worldwide, Macs especially. It's long been time to expand the heartland out of the US and over all of the first world and then some. Nike have done a very nice job with their long history of that. Time for Apple to really go big.

Apple Advertising has always been a misnomer (?right usage of word?) of sorts. IE, visionary and seminal at times, fracked and insulting at other times.

But Nike is a fracking GLOBAL POWERHOUSE. And they have seriously cracked the Asian, SouthEastAsian, Japanese market. Australia/NewZealand too. They know how to get there.

In SouthEastAsia for example, it's all about the football (soccer) -- competition from Adidas, but World Cup FIFA Soccer, English and European leagues, Nike and Adidas have managed to tap into foorball (soccer) mania in Asia and SouthEastAsia as a common language to push a lot of Nike and Adidas products -- which are affordable but just a little more expensive to be "Nike" and "Adidas" -- since it's all so cheaply manufactured in Asia/China anyway, pretty solid global reach with Nike. Apple needs to figure this shit out. They can't carpet bomb US-based marketing to other locales. Nike can storm US and Australasian markets, but they figured out India, China, Asia, Japan, SouthEastAsia, and Europe too. Apple has a bit of growing up to do, hope these are promising steps moving forward.

Apple Advertising has always been a misnomer (?right usage of word?) of sorts. IE, visionary and seminal at times, fracked and insulting at other times.

But Nike is a fracking GLOBAL POWERHOUSE. And they have seriously cracked the Asian, SouthEastAsian, Japanese market. Australia/NewZealand too. They know how to get there.

In SouthEastAsia for example, it's all about the football (soccer) -- competition from Adidas, but World Cup FIFA Soccer, English and European leagues, Nike and Adidas have managed to tap into foorball (soccer) mania in Asia and SouthEastAsia as a common language to push a lot of Nike and Adidas products -- which are affordable but just a little more expensive to be "Nike" and "Adidas" -- since it's all so cheaply manufactured in Asia/China anyway, pretty solid global reach with Nike. Apple needs to figure this shit out. They can't carpet bomb US-based marketing to other locales. Nike can storm US and Australasian markets, but they figured out India, China, Asia, Japan, SouthEastAsia, and Europe too. Apple has a bit of growing up to do, hope these are promising steps moving forward.

Hear, hear

Quote:

Originally Posted by addabox

Being an Apple basher means you never, ever have to acknowledge success.

Um.... doesn't anyone think Nike might take umbrage at this? Sure, their account with W+K doesn't rest solely on one person, but still. And to top it off, isn't someone from Nike on Apple's board of directors?

Um.... doesn't anyone think Nike might take umbrage at this? Sure, their account with W+K doesn't rest solely on one person, but still. And to top it off, isn't someone from Nike on Apple's board of directors?

I can't stand the contempt for Windows, nor do 95% of people who use Windows.

With only 2% of computers worldwide, Apple should be more humble, show its friendly ease of use and try to 'seduce' potential Mac buyers who use Windows. That's Marketing 101.

It could be something that Apple needs to address by getting some Nike experience with regard to *global* expansion and appeal.

At best, it's a US thing with GetAMac and people in the US love it, people outside are like, well, okay, but WTF?

At worst, it's a US thing with GetAMac and people in the US are divided on it, some think it silly, like, two guys talking, and I want to buy a computer because this "Mac" guy is like so cool and what not?? ...

It's a huge debate. We have no real data regarding how successful the ads really are.

I would say the "Cancel or Allow" is the best one, while the "Sitting In A Box" one is real abstract. Even the "Cancel or Allow", that would only work for people that have *already* purchased Vista -- in other words, your target audience would be people that have already upgraded their OS, or most likely, bought a new computer with Vista and then realised what a crock it is.

Does anyone find it coincidental that her firm is Wieden + Kennedy and she probably became acquainted with Apple during the Nike + iPod project?

Did they wine + dine her? Did they give her the ol' dog + pony show? Throw her the smoke + mirrors? I sure hope her ads are clever + informative!

On another note, there are two Nike ads that seemed to disappear immediately, but I liked them. One, a few years ago, featured a series of quotes from Ralph Waldo Emerson's essay "Self-Reliance." The other featured a famous female distance runner being accosted by a Texas-Chainsaw-Massacre-like maniac, and she outruns him while he doubles over in exhaustion.

Hopefully it means we'll have some commercials highlighting features/programs in Leopard. Sure you gain some interest by some people but you can't keep feeding them the same crap (the current ads). Show us something new and enticing. Something that makes us go, "Damn, now I gotta check that out."

Even the "Cancel or Allow", that would only work for people that have *already* purchased Vista -- in other words, your target audience would be people that have already upgraded their OS, or most likely, bought a new computer with Vista and then realised what a crock it is.

So if I'm running a lame old windows os and thinking about upgrading to Vista I'm not going to think twice after seeing this ad? Or maybe my pc is really old and I'm thinking about upgrading to a new pc. Oh, but it will come with Vista, damn!
I think Apple knows exactly who they are appealing to with this ad and it's brilliant. Those who have already shelled out the bucks for vista or a new pc are not about to pitch them and buy a mac. It's those who are about to upgrade that might think twice.

Lol. You really have no idea what you are talking about, do you? The 'Get a Mac'-ads are a huge success. Being humble has never worked really in advertising. And don't forget, they are really funny!

Define success. They may be popular, but that doesn't necessarily equate to sales. Where's the proof that sales are going through the roof because of some lame "Let's tape a webcam to a guy's head!" commercial?

I would say the "Cancel or Allow" is the best one, while the "Sitting In A Box" one is real abstract. Even the "Cancel or Allow", that would only work for people that have *already* purchased Vista -- in other words, your target audience would be people that have already upgraded their OS, or most likely, bought a new computer with Vista and then realised what a crock it is.

True story: An executive acquaintance of mine specifically cited the "Major Surgery" ad as one that caught his attention and a week after we spoke, he went out an bought the 24" iMac... so, I guess it's working.

So if I'm running a lame old windows os and thinking about upgrading to Vista I'm not going to think twice after seeing this ad? Or maybe my pc is really old and I'm thinking about upgrading to a new pc. Oh, but it will come with Vista, damn!
I think Apple knows exactly who they are appealing to with this ad and it's brilliant. Those who have already shelled out the bucks for vista or a new pc are not about to pitch them and buy a mac. It's those who are about to upgrade that might think twice.

Fair enough. I have to admit you have a point there. But I doubt this ads will be able to withstand the full Vista juggernaut, but if it helps a few people dive out of the way of the Vista steamroller, that's cool.

...The other featured a famous female distance runner being accosted by a Texas-Chainsaw-Massacre-like maniac, and she outruns him while he doubles over in exhaustion...

I vaguely remember that, that's quite old, like 10 years back or something, at least... It was not too shabby.

In the same theme though, maybe 10 years back they had a fairly close, tracking shot of a runner in Nike running across a desert.
"The runner is wearing Nike" ... Then they pulled back and showed the cameraman (with full harness and steadicam and camera rig) ... "The cameraman is wearing Adidas". 8)

Hopefully it means we'll have some commercials highlighting features/programs in Leopard. Sure you gain some interest by some people but you can't keep feeding them the same crap (the current ads). Show us something new and enticing. Something that makes us go, "Damn, now I gotta check that out."